6A-1 State: Jenks Players To Watch
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The Class 6A-1 state championship game is set! #1 Bixby will square off with #5 Jenks in Edmond on Friday at 7PM. The Spartans have been atop the 6A-1 rankings all season and are looking to defend their 6A-1 crown and bring home their sixth consecutive state championship. Jenks had a rocky regular season but have been playing their best football at the right time and will get another crack at putting a stop to the Bixby dynasty. In this post, we’re putting the spotlight on the Trojans with ten players to watch from Jenks and even more names to know! Keep it locked in to Prep Redzone Oklahoma each day for more state championship preview content in each class!
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JENKS’ TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jenks senior wide receiver Ayden Christiansen Ayden Christiansen 6’3″ | 175 lbs | WR Jenks | 2024 State OK has emerged this season as the team’s leading receiver. He comes into the championship game with Bixby as the leader in receiving yards and touchdowns on the season. You watch Christiansen in person and you see why he’s become the top target in the passing game. He has length, athleticism and can make plays down the field. We’re looking forward to seeing what kind of impact he can have in the championship game. Like a few other players on the Jenks offense, he can change the game in the blink of an eye. He finds the soft spot in the opposing defense and exploits it.
Highlights
Jenks junior defensive lineman Cash Jacobsen Cash Jacobsen 6’5″ | 250 lbs | DL Jenks | 2025 State OK was a 2025 prospect that we liked a lot prior to the 2022 season. But the Trojans were snake bit by injuries everywhere last season and Jacobsen was one of the casualties of that. This season, he has made up for the lost time and has been an impact player right in the middle of the Jenks defensive line. From the handful of times that we’ve seen Jenks in person this season, Jacobsen is a run stuffer up the middle and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do against a very talented and experienced Bixby offensive line. He’s a dominant presence on the interior of the defensive line.
Highlights
Jenks senior Conner Thompson Conner Thompson 6’0″ | 175 lbs | ATH Jenks | 2024 State OK might be the most underrated part of this Jenks team. And he showed what he can do on both sides of the ball in the semifinals against rival Union. Thompson ended the game as one of the team’s leading receivers on the offensive side of the ball. Then Thompson turned around and was a part of a Jenks defense that completely shut down an explosive Union offense after halftime. Thompson had two big sacks in the second half and he should be one of the two-way players to watch this week. We’ve been fans of Thompson’s game for a while now and it’s good to see him shining bright on the biggest stages.
Highlights
Last season, Hudson Ball Hudson Ball 6’2″ | 210 lbs | DL Jenks | 2025 State OK introduced himself to Oklahoma high school football after moving to Jenks from Arkansas. And throughout his sophomore season in 2022, you could see flashes of what he could be, specifically as a defensive end. This season, it’s all come together and he is an absolute game-wrecker. We’ve seen a ton of football this season. We’ve seen some great football players everywhere in the state. There hasn’t been another player that has hit harder than Ball at Jenks. He leads the Trojans in sacks and when he hits a ball carrier, that ball carrier moves backwards. Ball against the Bixby offensive front is a marquee match-up.
Right behind Ball is Jenks junior linebacker Jack McInelly Jack McInelly 6’0″ | LB Jenks | 2025 State OK in terms of sacks and tackles for loss. McInelly has been a bright spot on the Jenks defensive side of the ball. The Trojans had to replace some really impressive linebackers over the last couple seasons and McInelly certainly has the potential to be the next strong one moving forward. He’s certainly been productive this season and he plays within the structure of the defense. McInelly is second on the team in sacks and is near the top of the list in tackles for loss. McInelly is going to be a player to watch this week and moving forward with this Trojan defense.
Before this season began, we wrote about five players to watch this season that were coming off significant injuries last season. Jenks linebacker Jett Calmus Jett Calmus 6’1″ | 200 lbs | LB Jenks | 2024 State OK was one of them. He had his junior season come to an end very early on in the season with a leg injury. This season, he’s made up for the lost time and has been one of the top linebackers in the state. He leads the team in tackles and was a man possessed in their semifinal win over rival Union. As the Trojans hit a different gear in the second half defensively, Calmus matched the intensity and was all over the place. He was once again a tackling machine.
One of the bigger stories this offseason was sophomore KD Jones KD Jones 6’0″ | 170 lbs | ATH Jenks | 2026 State OK moving from Broken Arrow to Jenks. That has been well documented at this point. Jones has backed up all the offseason hype with a terrific sophomore season. Jones is closing in on 2,000 yards of total offense between rushing and receiving yards. He leads the team in receptions and has well over 1,000 yards. In their semifinal win over Union, Jones became a one-man wrecking crew out of the wildcat formation. Taking direct snaps and he was gone in the blink of an eye. There is no doubt that he is a special talent with a very bright future ahead of him.
KD wasn’t the only Jones to leave Broken Arrow for Jenks in the offseason. Junior quarterback Owen Jones Owen Jones 6’1″ | QB Jenks | 2025 State OK became QB1 for the Trojans after starting for the Tigers last season. The thing that really impressed us about Jones last week in the semifinals against Union was his efficiency in the passing game. There’s no doubt that Jones has weapons in the passing game. Jones isn’t the only standout quarterback in the Trojan backfield. But when it comes to slinging the ball around, Jones is the guy to do it and he has an outstanding deep ball. An underrated part of his game is his ability to distribute the ball to different receivers.
It feels like the majority of the players on this breakdown have been on the defensive side of the ball. And for good reason, the Trojans have the reputation of being one of, if not the best defensive units in the state. One of the breakout stars this fall on that side of the ball has been junior Sam Stone Sam Stone 6’0″ | DB Jenks | 2025 State OK as a hybrid defensive back that can come up and help out the linebackers. Stone is in the same boat as McInelly at the linebacker position. Both have become breakout players for the Jenks defense this season and both have well over 100 tackles on the season. Stone has a high upside moving forward on this Jenks defense.
Coming into this season, we knew that Jenks had a freshman in Semaj Stanford Semaj Stanford 5’10” | 165 lbs | ATH Jenks | 2027 State OK that would have a chance to be an instant impact player. He even exceeded our expectations back in August. On offense, Stanford is a versatile athlete that, like Jones, can line up at running back or wide receiver. On defense, he’s proven to be a ball hawk on the defensive side of the ball. And don’t overlook his ability to change the game in the special teams department as a returner. We have not released any rankings on the state’s 2027 class, but it’s safe to say that Stanford is a heavy favorite to be right at the top. Stanford has an outstanding future.
MORE NAMES TO KNOW
PLAYER | CLASS | POSITION |
Asher Parrish Asher Parrish 6'4" | 305 lbs | OL Jenks | 2024 OK | 2024 | Offensive Lineman |
Cooper Shockley Cooper Shockley 5'11" | DB Jenks | 2025 OK | 2025 | Defensive Back |
Eliott Atiya Eliott Atiya K Jenks | 2024 State OK | 2024 | Kicker |
Ilias Cooper Ilias Cooper 6'0" | DB Jenks | 2024 State OK | 2024 | Defensive Back |
Jace Hager Jace Hager 5'10" | LB Jenks | 2025 OK | 2025 | Linebacker |
Jack Wiltshire Jack Wiltshire 6'3" | OL Jenks | 2025 OK | 2025 | Offensive Lineman |
Khy Beaty Khy Beaty 5'11" | ATH Jenks | 2024 State OK | 2024 | Tight End |
Simian Gilkey Simian Gilkey 6'3" | 175 lbs | QB Jenks | 2024 State OK | 2024 | Quarterback |